16 Weeks to the Shamrock Marathon....

Yesterday marked 16 weeks to go until the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach. I bumped my long run up to 12 miles as planned and completed the run. My legs got a little tired the last couple of miles, proper fueling prior to my long run is starting to come into play. I neglected to carbo load prior to this run, and while I did okay, it served as a reminder that from this point forward, proper fueling is definitely a consideration not to be overlooked. We'll talk more about proper fueling next time, today's lesson deals with proper pacing.

Lesson #12: If you want to finish the race, run your own pace! I learned this lesson the hard way while running the New Orleans Marathon this past February. I felt very confident going into the race based on an increased training regime from previous years, a nice flat course (instead of a hilly marathon course I was accustomed to) and the fact that my last long (20 miles) training run went very well. So...being confident (or over confident as it turned out!) I joined a "pace group" that turned out to be a little faster than I could handle. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this until mile #11 when my legs started hurting way too early. By then, it was too late, I had burned up a lot of my reserve fuel and energy. I dropped back from the pace group at mile 11 and slowed a bit. By the time I got to the 13.1 mile mark, I knew the second half of the course was going to be tough. It was more than tough, it was downright ugly and painful. I did finish the race, but my hopes of a PR went down the drain. I was very disappointed in my bad judgement, but took away a valuable lesson. From now on, I run my pace!

Tomorrow I get back on the scale - could be bad news after Thanksgiving weekend! I've been at 200 or 200.5 for the last three weeks, but have a feeling that I've gained a pound or two this week.

Today's Song of the Blog is Hippy Hippy Shake by The Swinging Blue Jeans.

Enjoy the great running weather, I know I am!

Ciao for now....

17 Weeks to the Sham!

Ran the local "Turkey 10 Miler" race yesterday. I was happy with my time, this being the first time I've run a competitive 10 mile race - I've run longer and run shorter, but never this exact distance. I finished in 1:33:31; which equates to a 9:21 pace over the 10 miles. I actually thought I would do about a 10 minute pace, so I'm good with the results.

Next weekend I'll bump my long run up to 12 miles. I've done 10 miles 4 out of the last 5 weekends, so I'm ready to move up. I've got seven weeks until the half marathon, and the last two weeks will be sort of a tapering off; so really five more "serious weeks". Which brings me to today's "lesson" - which is #12: "Don't Peak Too Early When Training". The build up to a marathon or even a half marathon should be a gradual one. Again, the long run of the week is the most important, this is the distance you want to gradually increase throughout your training period. If you reach your goal too soon, you'll need to maintain that distance (by and large) until your race. This could lead to injury or just plain burn out. I'm actually a little ahead of where I want to be for the half marathon, but that's because I initially started to training for a full marathon and changed my plans. Over the next five weeks I plan to run 12 miles at least twice, probably 3 times - the other 2 or 3 weeks will be "step back" weeks where I run a slightly shorter distance - like 8 or 10 miles.

This week of training will be a little tough since it's Thanksgiving. Our son is coming home from NYC and we have lots of stuff planned, so I'll need to squeeze me runs in whenever I can. Today's song of the blog is  "Hold on Tight to Your Dreams" by ELO.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let the Countdown Begin! 18 Weeks to the "Sham"!

So 18 weeks from right now I will be cruising through the Shamrock Marathon in Virgina Beach! As you know, my training has a bit of a head start since I am doing a half marathon here in Mobile on January 10th. Yesterday I ran 10 miles, which is the third time I have done that distance in the last 4 weekends. I'll bump my long runs up to 12 miles by the end of this month in preparation for the half marathon, then after January 10th, start to focus on March 21st.

If you've read my earlier posts, you know I was originally planning to do the full marathon here in Mobile on January 10th. I opted out of that full marathon due to not being able to devote all the training time needed this Fall. My schedule has since opened up a bit, so I'm back in the game for a full marathon later in the year. I started this blog to help folks who may be training for his/her first marathon, and to share some tips I have learned along the way. Prior to my change of plans, I had gotten through the first eleven "lessons", which are re-capped here:

1. It takes determination

2. It’s a major time commitment

3. You can’t control the weather

4. Have a goal

5. Get motivated

6. Have a reward system

7. Invest in good running shoes

8. Stay healthy

9. Have a support team

10. Don't chafe me Dude!

11. Run safely

Starting with my next post, we will resume the "lessons" and pick up with # 12.
 
I also have been posting some great running songs (if you run with an MP3 player) that may help you keep moving when out on the road, a re-cap of those are below:

• Little G.T.O by Ronny and the Daytonas
• Rock and Roll Music by The Beatles

• Together Forever by Rick Astley

• I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett

• Knowing Me, Knowing You by ABBA

• We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel

• Cherry Bomb by John Mellencamp

• Crunchy Granola Suite by Neil Diamond

• Who Knew by Pink

• Katmandu by Bob Seger

• We Don't Talk Anymore by Cliff Richards
• Hey Tonight by Credence Clearwater Revival

• What if it all Goes Right by Melissa Lawson

• Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams

• Hot N Cold by Katy Perry

• That's What I Like About You by The Kinks

• God, Love and Rock and Roll by Teegarden & Van Winkle

• Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones

• Hawaii Five-O Medley by Jive Bunny

• Time is Tight by Booker T & the MGs

• Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon

So this week is sort of a milestone, being 18 weeks to go and all I decided to do a re-cap. From this point forward, we'll start the countdown to the full marathon in Virgina Beach, but being careful not to overlook the half on January 10th - never underestimate a run!
 
Ciao...

Into November We Go!

Hard to believe we are dealing with a Tropical Storm in November, but we are! TS Ida just passed through last night and besides a lot of wind and rain, was thankfully a "non-event". The wind (about 25-30 mph) continues today, so my run this afternoon should be interesting.


November is off to a good start running-wise. I had maxed out my running shoes (I didn't really like that model anyway) and rotated to a new style last Sunday, November 1st. I'm a New Balance fan, so I'm now running in the NB1225 and love them! Following my own advice, I have ordered two more pair while they are still available to store on my shelf. I ran 10 miles last Sunday for the 2nd Sunday in a row, so that was good. On Tuesday, 11/3, I did 6 miles and then a 4 mile run on 11/5. This past Saturday I ran in a local 10K race (Senior Bowl Charity Run) and finished in 54:53, which is right about where I normally do a 10K. Sunday, 11/8 I went out and did an 8 mile run - surprised how tired my legs were from the 10K! Like most folks, I run faster in a race environment than I do when training, thus the soreness the next day.
If you've read my earlier posts, you know that a typical marathon training schedule is about 18 weeks long. This coming Sunday, 11/15, marks 18 weeks to go until the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach. Since I am currently following a training schedule for the half marathon here in Mobile on January 10th, I will stick with that schedule for now. Once the half is out of the way, my mileage will begin to ramp up. I think I will be ready for the half marathon since I am already doing 10 mile runs and the half is still 2 months away. I'll do 2-3 12 mile runs before the half as well, so don't anticipate any problems.


Starting next week, I'll get back to posting my marathon "lessons" since I will officially be within the 18 week window. If memory serves me right, we got up to lesson #11. So, we'll do a quick re-cap and then continue as we journey toward March 21st! I have high hopes for "The Sham" and really want to PR in that race. The course is nice and flat, just one overpass that we traverse twice, both times within the first 13 miles - so no hills whatsoever on the second half of the course. Since part of the course goes along the ocean, wind might be an issue, but not much you can do about that.

Today is "Tuesday weigh day" and I finally broke the 201 barrier! I weighed in at 200 even this morning - who hoo! Need a good week this week to hit that 199 mark!

Today's Song of the Blog is Give Peace a Chance by John Lennon.

End of October

Hard to believe that October has already come and gone! Literally seems like only last week I was still complaining about the heat and humidity of August. October turned out to be a good month of training. I totaled 82 miles for the month, which is my highest monthly total to-date this year; plus, I bumped my long run up to double digits - 10 miles.

Since my last post I have only run twice, did a 5 mile run on 10/29 and did another 10 mile run this past Sunday, 11/1. The "long run" on Sunday (or whatever day you do it) is clearly the most important run of the week. You need to keep increasing this mileage as you approach your goal of a marathon or half-marathon. During the week, when time is more limited, do your "maintenance runs" of 5, 6 or 7 miles. I will run 5 or 6 tonight, then 5 on Thursday evening. I am doing a local 10K (Senior Bowl Run) on Saturday morning, so that will count as my Friday evening run. This coming Sunday, I'll do at least an 8 mile run, more if the weather cooperates.

I've added a couple of new links to my "front page" of this blog; Active.com and Hal Higdon.com. Both sites offer a lot of good articles related to running, so check them out if you have the time.

I haven't talked about my "Tuesday weigh day" in a while, but since today is Tuesday.... My weight continues to fluctuate by as much as 2.5 pounds every week, which still surprises me. My goal is to get to at least 199 pounds, I started at 206 back in August. I had gotten down to 201 for two weeks in a row, then bounced back up to 203.5, down to 203 last week, then today back down to 201. Can't quite seem to break through that 201 barrier yet!

I've signed up to do a local "Turkey 10 Miler" on November 21st. I am scheduled to run 10 miles that Sunday anyway, so might as well do it Saturday and get some more race experience.

So, that's about it for today; except of course for the Song of the Blog! Today's selection is Time is Tight by Booker T & the MGs.

Hope your training is going well.....Ciao